About Us

Discover what makes us the best choice when you want to book an unforgettable island escape!

The Barefoot Travel Group was founded by Rosie and Derek Palframan in 2006. After more than 20 years in senior management positions in prominent South African travel companies (including car rental firms, airlines, hotel groups and retail travel agencies) we saw that a gap existed in the market for a niche specialist tour operator that didn't try to sell every destination on the planet (and in the process did it badly)

So rather than being all-rounders knowing "a little about a lot" of destinations, we'd instead prefer to be specialists who know "a lot about a little"

Derek & Rosie PalframanBarefoot Breaks Owners

So rather than being all-rounders knowing “a little about a lot” of destinations, we'd instead prefer to know “a lot about a little”. We aim to be specialists - true destination experts able to give customers the benefit of our in-depth knowledge of destinations and lodges that we are personally passionate about!

The recipe of specialization has worked - so much so that the we have rolled out 3 different websites selling 3 very different products with 3 separate and dedicated teams of expert consultants: there’s BAREFOOT BREAKS which specialises in chic and intimate beach lodges in the Indian Ocean; then there’s JUST MAURITIUS, perennially one of the Top 5 sellers of Mauritius holidays in South Africa; and finally there’s BUSHSCAPES which focuses on top Southern African game lodges.

Call one of our dedicated consultants today so that they can give you the expert advice and service you demand!

How are we Different?

The major tour operators in South Africa today invariably feature only large “rack ‘em, pack ‘em and stack ‘em” type resorts – Barefoot Breaks instead focuses on smaller, more intimate and more exclusive retreats.

We don't work through travel agents but instead deal direct with our customers. Nothing personal against travel agents, but they sell such a vast array of products that they cannot even hope to give truly expert advice to clients. Instead, as specialists dealing with customers direct, Barefoot Breaks give you truly expert and in-depth insights into our range of destinations and lodges.

While they may be using the Internet to do their research, people still largely want to deal with people, not machines, when booking their holiday - so call or e-mail us and we'll give you the dedicated and truly personal service you need.

By selling direct and with no travel agents and as few intermediaries as possible, we are able to offer the best possible prices to our customers.

Barefoot Breaks will not simply sell every lodge or resort on every island – instead we've hand-picked the best; those properties that we feel offer the best value and experience to our clients and which we are totally comfortable selling.

This Barefoot Breaks website is designed to give you all the useful and relevant information so often lacking on other websites – you’ll find our personal opinions and loads of images, enabling you to choose the lodge or resort that's right for you.